Jesus at the Sheepfold Door as a Thief Climbsby sanjalberts
10:2John 10:2
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
He that comes in openly by the proper way into the fold is the rightful keeper of the flock, in contrast to a thief or robber who climbs in by some other way. This is Christ the true Shepherd, and His followers are as a helpless and dependent flock whom He gathers, cares for, and protects. He is both the door and the shepherd of the sheep, entering in by Himself and becoming shepherd through His own sacrifice, and through Him alone people of every age enter God's fold to receive salvation and grace. The entrance is by faith in Jesus Christ, who saves from sin and opens the way back to the Father to walk in holiness, while leaders who rejected Him and left God's people unfed were not true shepherds but thieves and robbers.
The Door and Setting
The one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep, the rightful keeper who comes openly by the proper way. He stands in contrast to the thief or robber, who does not use the door but climbs in by some other way. As the true shepherd he stands in a close relation to the human family, gathering, caring for, and protecting the flock, while those who drive people away from him show themselves unlike true shepherds. His legitimacy is seen in coming as prophecy had specified, with the types and symbols of Scripture fulfilled in his life, mission, and death, unlike deceivers who claimed to be Messiah for their own gain.
The saying belongs to a parable about entering the sheepfold by the door, setting the shepherd over against the thief and robber. In that parable the porter opens to the shepherd, and the sheep hear and follow the shepherd's voice. Those who first heard it did not understand what was spoken to them.
The shepherd work in the saying is taken from familiar daily life and ordinary surroundings to illustrate immortal, spiritual, unseen truth. It gives something to interest every mind and appeal to every heart, using facts of experience familiar to the hearers to make spiritual lessons clear. By this use, the daily task of common toil is brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of higher thoughts, so that familiar work becomes a reminder of spiritual and unseen things.
Christ the True Shepherd
The one who enters by the door is the true Shepherd, and the familiar picture of a shepherd caring for a flock sets forth His relationship to believers and to the human family. His followers are as a helpless, dependent flock, and He is the rightful keeper who gathers them, cares for them, and protects them, in distinction from thieves and robbers who climb up some other way. He is both the door and the shepherd of the sheep, entering in by Himself, and it is through His own sacrifice that He becomes the shepherd of the sheep.
He is the door through whom people of every age enter God's fold and receive salvation and grace. Types, symbols, prophecies, teachings, and miracles all point to Him, while ceremonies or systems offered as substitutes for Him cannot provide entrance. The way into the sheepfold is through faith in Jesus Christ, by whom alone scribes and Pharisees, like all other sinners, can be saved. He saves people from their sins, not in their sins, and makes a way for the sinner to return to the Father and walk in holiness. In this door image He is the way into the heavenly Canaan, and His followers must enter through Him rather than seek another way.
His mission as shepherd is legitimate because He came as prophecy had specified, and the types and symbols of Scripture were fulfilled in His life, mission, and death, while those who claimed to be the Messiah for their own gain were deceivers. In contrast, Israel's leaders did not do the work of true shepherds, for the Pharisees had rejected Him and were driving people away from Him. Scribes and Pharisees who used authority but left God's people unfed merited the charge of thieves and robbers.
Entering and Following Faithfully
The one who comes in through the door is the true shepherd, set apart from thieves and robbers who climb in by another way, and this marks the relation in which He stands to the human family. His work in that office is to heal, carried forward as a missionary in every sense of the word. Faithful shepherds recall Him, while those who follow Him are as a helpless and dependent flock under a shepherd's care. That same shepherd picture belongs to a teacher who cares for His sheep and lambs, seeks out those who stray, and labors to save the lost.
The shepherd and the fold also set forth His welcome, for He opens the door to receive a pleading sheep into the fold, showing that hope and mercy are not to be withheld. The flock answers the True Shepherd by following His guidance and keeping close to Him as rightful shepherd who entered by the door. The true shepherd of God's flock comes by the proper way, in contrast to men who would lead the flock into strange pastures. For that reason the flock must depend on God rather than on human leaders when they are left to themselves.
To enter the fold like a lamb yet take away its trained help for another institution is a deceptive use of friendly access, set against entering by the proper way as a shepherd does.
He that comes in openly by the proper way into the fold is the rightful keeper of the flock, in contrast to a thief or robber who climbs in by some other way. This is Christ the true Shepherd, and His followers are as a helpless and dependent flock whom He gathers, cares for, and protects. He is both the door and the shepherd of the sheep, entering in by Himself and becoming shepherd through His own sacrifice, and through Him alone people of every age enter God's fold to receive salvation and grace. The entrance is by faith in Jesus Christ, who saves from sin and opens the way back to the Father to walk in holiness, while leaders who rejected Him and left God's people unfed were not true shepherds but thieves and robbers.
The Door and Setting
The one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep, the rightful keeper who comes openly by the proper way. He stands in contrast to the thief or robber, who does not use the door but climbs in by some other way. As the true shepherd he stands in a close relation to the human family, gathering, caring for, and protecting the flock, while those who drive people away from him show themselves unlike true shepherds. His legitimacy is seen in coming as prophecy had specified, with the types and symbols of Scripture fulfilled in his life, mission, and death, unlike deceivers who claimed to be Messiah for their own gain.
The saying belongs to a parable about entering the sheepfold by the door, setting the shepherd over against the thief and robber. In that parable the porter opens to the shepherd, and the sheep hear and follow the shepherd's voice. Those who first heard it did not understand what was spoken to them.
The shepherd work in the saying is taken from familiar daily life and ordinary surroundings to illustrate immortal, spiritual, unseen truth. It gives something to interest every mind and appeal to every heart, using facts of experience familiar to the hearers to make spiritual lessons clear. By this use, the daily task of common toil is brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of higher thoughts, so that familiar work becomes a reminder of spiritual and unseen things.
Christ the True Shepherd
The one who enters by the door is the true Shepherd, and the familiar picture of a shepherd caring for a flock sets forth His relationship to believers and to the human family. His followers are as a helpless, dependent flock, and He is the rightful keeper who gathers them, cares for them, and protects them, in distinction from thieves and robbers who climb up some other way. He is both the door and the shepherd of the sheep, entering in by Himself, and it is through His own sacrifice that He becomes the shepherd of the sheep.
He is the door through whom people of every age enter God's fold and receive salvation and grace. Types, symbols, prophecies, teachings, and miracles all point to Him, while ceremonies or systems offered as substitutes for Him cannot provide entrance. The way into the sheepfold is through faith in Jesus Christ, by whom alone scribes and Pharisees, like all other sinners, can be saved. He saves people from their sins, not in their sins, and makes a way for the sinner to return to the Father and walk in holiness. In this door image He is the way into the heavenly Canaan, and His followers must enter through Him rather than seek another way.
His mission as shepherd is legitimate because He came as prophecy had specified, and the types and symbols of Scripture were fulfilled in His life, mission, and death, while those who claimed to be the Messiah for their own gain were deceivers. In contrast, Israel's leaders did not do the work of true shepherds, for the Pharisees had rejected Him and were driving people away from Him. Scribes and Pharisees who used authority but left God's people unfed merited the charge of thieves and robbers.
Entering and Following Faithfully
The one who comes in through the door is the true shepherd, set apart from thieves and robbers who climb in by another way, and this marks the relation in which He stands to the human family. His work in that office is to heal, carried forward as a missionary in every sense of the word. Faithful shepherds recall Him, while those who follow Him are as a helpless and dependent flock under a shepherd's care. That same shepherd picture belongs to a teacher who cares for His sheep and lambs, seeks out those who stray, and labors to save the lost.
The shepherd and the fold also set forth His welcome, for He opens the door to receive a pleading sheep into the fold, showing that hope and mercy are not to be withheld. The flock answers the True Shepherd by following His guidance and keeping close to Him as rightful shepherd who entered by the door. The true shepherd of God's flock comes by the proper way, in contrast to men who would lead the flock into strange pastures. For that reason the flock must depend on God rather than on human leaders when they are left to themselves.
To enter the fold like a lamb yet take away its trained help for another institution is a deceptive use of friendly access, set against entering by the proper way as a shepherd does.